Interlude
by Ellie13x
Summary: Sometimes, it's the little moments that make all the hard times worth while. And with more hard times than good ahead of her, memories are all D.G. Cohen has. Continuation of Dal Niente, told in one shots.
1. 01

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**01**

Today was my first day back to school without Jonathan.

The morning had been easy enough. Talk to the cops about finding Jonathan's grandmother. Get dressed. Drive to school.

As I walked through the halls, however, I noticed that things had changed.

People avoided me like the plague. Seriously, I walked through the doors and they pushed other kids to get away from me. I looked down at myself. I was wearing a simple purple shirt and a pair of jeans. I don't know what was so foreboding about that.

It had only been ten minutes and I already missed Jonathan's constant presence at my side.

Classes went smoothly. I tried to pay attention and took notes when I was able. My heart just wasn't in it today, however. I couldn't wait to go home and curl up on the couch and eat take out. That was going to be my daily routine, I decided. I was probably going to gain a bunch of weight but I didn't care. Not today.

Third period finally rolled around and I sat in my seat, trying not to wince at the empty seat in front of me. The teacher, Mr. Bolock, walked by me and patted his hand on my should. Jesus, did everyone know what happened? Is that why people were avoiding me?

During the last ten minutes of the class, I felt a tap on my arm. I jumped and I looked to my left. Belinda had moved her chair so she now sat with me and gave me a small smile. "Hey, are you alright?"

I looked around and saw most of the class had done the same. Did I doze off or something? I shook my head. "I completely missed what we were supposed to be doing."

"Here, I have it done." Belinda handed me her paper and I gave her a grateful look. "How is Jonathan?"

I shrugged and copied her answers to my paper. "I don't know. I haven't spoken to him yet. I told him to call me when he got settled in so it will be awhile yet."

Belinda put her chin on her hand, her brown eyes on me. "Where is he staying?"

"My dad's townhouse." I worried my bottom lip. "Until I decide whether I want to sell it when I move up there."

"I'm sorry about your dad." Belinda patted my free hand and I gave her a small smile. "My mom passed over the break, too."

I dropped the pencil, a little more than shocked. "Oh, Belinda, I'm sorry."

It was her turn to shrug. "Thank you, but I'm okay. We knew it was coming so we had time to prepare."

"It doesn't make it easy, though." She nodded her head in agreement and we lapsed back into silence as I copied her answers. I heard a sneeze next to me so I glanced over. The kid who had sneezed, a theater geek by the name of Sam, cowered when I looked his way. What the hell is going on?

I shot a look at Belinda who raised an eyebrow at me. "You've noticed then, huh?"

"You mean that apparently everyone in this school had lost their mind? Yeah. I mean, I haven't suddenly contacted Leprosy or the Plague, have I?" My voice was a little higher than normal and I swallowed to try and get it to behave. These kids were freaking me out.

"Everyone knows about your dad. Add to that his murderer is dead and now Jonathan's grandmother, people think you're a psychopath." She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

I felt myself pale. So that's why I've been avoided. People were afraid of being the psychopath's next victim.

Jesus fucking Christ.

"I'm **not** crazy." I gave her a pained look. "What, you're not afraid of me stabbing you with my pen?

Belinda nodded. "I know you didn't do it. Hell, anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows you didn't do it. It's only the social parasites that believe that garbage."

"And what do _they_ think about it?" I took a break from copying and jerked my head over towards the popular crowd where Lilly Carothers was holding court in all her brunette glory. She was sitting in Sherry's usual seat, showing off her new fake nails. My eyes almost rolled of their own accord.

Belinda scoffed and rested her head on her hand. "Who do you think started the rumors, D.G.? I've heard that she's actually happy that Williams is gone. She's been dying to have the title of Wicked Bitch of the South."

Frowning, I cast another glance at the new Queen, almost jumping when my green eyes clashed with her blue ones. She raised an eyebrow at me, clearly a challenge. She then turned back to her friends and launched into another vaguely racist rant about her beautician.

She didn't look right, sitting in the chair that Sherry Williams had claimed probably long before I even came to Atlanta. She had another nameless boy at her side that kept rubbing his hand on her leg, looking like he was about to start drooling at any second.

Gag me.

"So." I jumped a little and glared at Belinda, who snickered. "Sorry. You sitting with us at lunch?"

I shrugged and handed my now finished paper to Bolock, who had come around to collect them. "I was actually thinking about skipping."

My friend gave me a look that was all mock-horror and feigned shock. "Why, D.G.! I never!"

I laughed a little. "If you had the week I did, you would want to go home and sleep forever, too."

"Yes, but if you start moping, you will never stop."

I cast her a weird glance as the bell rang. "What? Are you taking up a career as a motivational speaker? If so, you may want to keep your day job."

Belinda laughed and stood, attempting to pull me with her. "Come on! You need to start living again. We both do. I mean, do you think our combined parents would want us to just skip through life?"

I glanced out the window at the bright blue Atlanta sky and wondered what Jonathan was doing. Was he looking up at the same blue sky, wondering how I was? I shook myself before gathering my books and bag. Belinda was right, there's no use in moping. I had to make the best at what I was given. I wasn't going to let anyone bring me down.

I owed my Dad that much.

Walking into the lunch room was a harrowing affair, and unfortunately, it was one I was going to have to repeat over and over again.

Belinda and I walked side by side into the massive cafeteria and it was like someone hit the mute button. Chairs scraped against the ugly gray tile and hundreds of eyes swiveled towards us. I froze like a deer in the headlights of a Peterbilt. If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under and rotting.

Belinda was my saving grace. She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the lunch line, glaring at anyone unlucky enough to cross our path. We made our way through the line, both of us passing on the mystery meat. I grabbed a piece of pizza that looked relatively harmless while Belinda got a salad, explaining that she was a vegetarian. "It's new." She said, glancing at the somewhat wilted lettuce leaves. "But since my mom died, I feel like I should take care of myself better, you know?"

I did. But I wasn't sure how I could protect myself against murder, so I just nodded.

We slowly made our way to the table, and I watched as the people parted like the sea. Again. Maybe I could get use to this.

Owen greeted Belinda with a kiss and smiled at me as we sat down on the hard chairs. "Hey, D."

I raised my eyebrow but smiled back. Two could play that game. "Hey, O. How are you?"

"I'm good." He laughed. "Must be nice to be able to part the idiots like that. What's you're secret?"

"A combination of new-kid syndrome and extremely bad luck." I gave him a small smile and took a bite of my pizza. Eww. The crust was gooey and the sauce was bitter. I knew I made a face but I swallowed anyways. Well, there goes lunch.

"How's Crane?" I jumped as a lunch tray clattered down on the metal and Polly sat down next to me, raising a hairless brow.

I frowned at her. She would have been pretty had she not been made up so heavily. And, you know, had she not want to do dirty things to my boyfriend. "He's fine."

Her smirk wasn't reassuring. "You don't sound so sure, Cohen. What's wrong, did he dump you already?"

My eyes narrowed and my frown turned into a glare. "No. He's getting settled, thank you. Not that it's any of your business."

"Psh." She turned and took a bite of an apple, chewing thoughtfully. "What does he see in you, anyways?"

"Polly!" Belinda leaned over, pulled from her conversation with Owen. Her voice was harsh whisper. "What is your problem?"

"My problem, Bell, is that you insist on bringing the social leper to our table." Her voice was calm, though louder than normal. She was trying to embarrass me and it was working. I could feel the heat in my face.

"You know what?" I stood and glared at the blonde bitch. She reminded me so much of Sherry now, just with darker clothes. I glanced at Belinda and took in her sad features. "I'll see you later, Belinda. I think I'm gonna skip after all."

Without a glance back, I threw my inedible lunch out and walked out the side doors into the sunshine.

I wasn't letting her win. I just needed a time out.

A/N: Interlude is going to be all one shots. There will be a time jump in between each one and it's going to chronicle the time in between Dal Niente and Cadence, which takes place during Batman Begins.

Thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewed, favorited, followed, everything! Dal Niente has gotten much more response than I figured it would and it always makes my week when I get a review, favorite, any alert of any kind. So thank you for supporting this and welcome! I will probably be posting Cadence along with this within a few days.

As of posting this, I haven't seen Dark Knight Rises yet. However, I want to dedicate this chapter to all the people who were hurt or lost their lives during the shooting that occurred last night in Aurora, Colorado. I really don't have the words for how heartbroken I am for the injured and the families of the ones who were lost.


	2. 02

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**02**

After my horrible day at school, I was more than happy to pull my Charger into the parking lot in front of the apartment. I had spent the rest of the day sulking and ignoring the rest of the student body, wishing I had made a beeline for the gate instead of walking through the courtyard until the bell rang.

As I eased the car up to the curb, the fact that I was, once again, alone weighed down on me. I killed the ignition. I had become far too attached to Jonathan. Before I had found him on the floor with broken glass and a swollen nose, I was fine being alone.

Now, without him by my side, I was lonely. Fuck.

Belinda tried to be a good friend, but with her blonde goth friend, it was difficult. Polly was jealous, that much was easy enough to see. But if she wanted Jonathan, she should have stood up for him like I did, instead of just being a bystander. I was only here for a few weeks and I did more for him than probably anyone he ever knew.

Pushing open the door, I got out of the Charger into the heat. Seriously, seventy degrees in January was kind of pushing it. In that moment, I missed Gotham more than I have since I moved to Atlanta. I missed the cold, the city, and Jonathan. But, more than anything else, I missed my dad.

I missed the townhouse, how it always smelled of cinnamon. I missed how Dad used to kiss my forehead when he woke up in the morning. I missed the smell of his chai latte in the morning, even if he wouldn't share it with me.

Great, now I'm really depressed.

I sighed and trudged into the apartment building, up the many flights of stairs. The entire brick building was eerily quiet which did absolutely nothing to help my sour mood.

I made it to the apartment in no time, throwing my messenger bag onto the floor as I locked the door behind me. "Mom?"

Silence was my only answer. She must be working. At least I wouldn't have to put up with 20 Questions, I guess.

I walked into the living room, slipping my shoes off as I went. I plopped onto couch and valiantly fought the urge to curl up in a ball and eat an entire pint of ice cream. Today was not my day.

The phone rang, breaking me out of my thoughts. I debated ignoring it all together, but seeing as it was probably my mother, that probably wasn't an awesome idea. She'd come home, probably hack me to pieces, and feed me to the birds.

I stood up slowly and grabbed the phone off the counter before reacquainting my ass with the couch. "Hello?"

There was a pause before a familiar voice broke through the white noise. "Dahlia?"

"Jonathan!" A smile threatened to break my face in two. "How are you?"

A light chuckle reached me through the speaker. "I'm fine, in between classes at the moment. Are you alright?"

I struggled for a minute with the urge to tell him, but I shrugged it off. This was our first phone call since he moved, and I wasn't going to ruin it. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Something must have been off in my voice because I could tell by his that he didn't believe a word I said. "What happened?"

"Nothing." I sighed. "It's just... lonely I guess. I mean, Belinda's alright. But that Polly girl, she has it out for me or something."

"Just ignore her, D.G. You know she's not worth your time."

"She wants in your pants."

I received a choked laugh for that. "I'm not even sure how to respond to that."

"You and me both. You know, other than I wanted to stomp on her face. And draw some eyebrows on her. Really, who shaves their eyebrows?"

"Don't get in trouble on my behalf. You only have a couple more months and then you'll be here with me."

"I know... I don't know what's wrong with me today." I bit my lip. "Have the police contacted you?"

A sigh permeated the silence. "I did. What were you doing there, D.G.?"

I put the phone on my shoulder and looked around the room, wringing my hands. "I don't know. After you left, I just wanted to check up on her. She was _old_, Jonathan. And apparently I should have done it sooner."

"The police suspect it was a robbery. A lot of her jewelry is missing, and I suspect it's long gone."

"I'm sorry, Jonathan. She was a horrible person, but Karma can be especially cruel."

"So it seems. The farm house is mine, but I'm thinking of letting the fire department have it, for training exercises. I have no use for it."

"If that's what you want to do, that's what you want to do."

"Dahlia," Jonathan's voice was quiet and there was concern threaded through every word. "Something else is bothering you. What is it?"

The sheer affection in his voice brought my entire day back and I felt tears burning behind my eyes. Damn it. "The kids at school think I'm a psycho, Jonathan." My voice was pained and I tried to reign it back in. "They act like I have the plague or something. They literally scatter and run into each other to get away from me now."

My boyfriend was quiet for a few minutes and I could almost imagine the look on his face. Finally, his voice broke through the static. "I know this is going to be hard, but you know you have to get through it, D.G. It's only for a few more months. If anything really bothers you, just call me, okay? We'll figure something out."

I almost went to wave him off before I realized the gesture was pointless. "Don't worry about me, Jonathan. I'm okay, I promise. Today just kind of sucked and I haven't adjusted yet." I took a deep breathe and forced myself to find something lighter to think about. "How's classes? Do you have the college girls fawning over you yet?"

"Hardly." He scoffed, his voice offended. "Even so, it'd be a waste of their time and I think they realize that. Classes are alright, I suppose. They aren't anywhere near as challenging as I had hoped, however."

I laughed a little. "You're such snob, you know that?"

"Being mature doesn't make me a snob, Dahlia. I simply don't have time for the idiotic things my peers find entertaining." His voice was so sure, it made me giggle.

"I miss you already, you know that?"

"I miss you, too." There was a smile to his soothing voice. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut our conversation short. I have to be at class in an hour."

My heart fell a little but I forced my voice to remain upbeat. "Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow then. I love you, Jonathan."

"It's a date. I love you, too, Dahlia. Be careful for me. I can't concentrate knowing you might be getting in trouble. Again."

We said our goodbyes and I hung up the phone feeling marginally better than I had before.

* * *

**A/N: The second chapter! I hope everyone is enjoying these little one shots. I'm going to go see Dark Knight Rises tomorrow and I'm super pumped for it. I've heard nothing but good things about it so far.**

**Anyways, thank you to everyone who favorited, reviewed, and followed! You guys have NO idea how much drive and inspiration it gives me to get these chapters done and out.**


	3. 03

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**03**

"So, D.G. What did Mr. Crane get you for Valentine's Day?"

February 14th. Valentine's Day. The day when all the happy teenaged couples exchanged flowers and candy. It was also the day when I couldn't get Jenna Anderson and Jake Marshall to quit sucking face long enough to get the fuck off my locker.

Needless to say, I wasn't in a good mood.

I gave Belinda a halfhearted glare and shut my locker door with a loud _bang_. "Nothing as of yet. What did Owen give you?"

Belinda lifted her shirt and I looked away, almost blushing. What the hell was she doing? That's _all_ I needed to cement my reputation as a freak, my best friend flashing me in the middle of the hallway.

Laughing, Belinda grabbed my hair so I looked at her. "He took me to get my belly button pierced! Isn't it cute?"

I looked down and saw a tiny silver bar going through her tan skin, with a small star dangling from the bar. The star was lined with diamonds. "Well.. it's unique."

My friend laughed again and pulled her shirt back down over her taut stomach. "It's _so_ Owen. He knew I've been wanting to get this done for awhile but I hated to waste my own money on it, especially since my mom died. He saved up and took me to an actual tattoo parlor to have it done!"

I smiled at her enthusiasm and without realizing it, my hand found it's way to the locket Jonathan gave me. My fingers ran over the metal and I calmed a little. I missed him, but I would survive.

Jonathan had kept his word about calling (almost) every day. It was pretty awkward still, we were so used seeing each other face to face that tinny voices over the phone was difficult to get used to. For the both of us.

School was hell. If Lilly Carothers and Polly Whats-her-face would get over their differences, I guarantee they would find a way to be bffs (as in _best friends, forever_. Duh.). I'm sure the mutual taunting and mocking would be enough to make them hetero soul mates. They could even form a club. _D.G. Cohen Haters, Anonymous_.

I rolled my eyes. To think I had hopes of having a normal, quiet senior year. Of course, that all ended when Jonathan fucking Crane looked at me with those eyes. I was sucked in and my life hadn't been normal since.

Today has just been one of those days.

"Don't look so glum, Dee." Belinda hooked her arm through mine as we walked down the hall to lunch. "I'm sure Jonathan has something amazing planned for you!"

I cast her a doubtful glance. "Are we talking about the same Jonathan Crane?"

"Shush you. That boy is head over heels for you, and I'm sure he's pining away for you at this very moment."

I decided then that we obviously were _not_ talking about the same Jonathan. "Yeah, yeah. I just want to make it through lunch without Polly bugging the fuck out of me."

"Oh, she's not that bad. Anyways, she's not here today. Skipped class to be with her overage boyfriend or something." I gave a little sigh of relief. Belinda obviously did not approve but kept quiet.

The cafeteria was busy as usual and I went through the motions of getting a lunch that I wouldn't eat and I sat with people I didn't really know. If only I could numb myself to the hard benches like I did everything else.

Belinda and Owen were easy enough to get along with, but with it being the day that it was, they were too involved with each other to notice anything. A giant alligator could have burst up from the sewers and they wouldn't have blinked.

Josh, the cute brunette, scooted closer to me and leaned in. "Makes you kind of sick, doesn't it?"

I pulled away quickly and raised an eyebrow in his direction. "What?"

He chuckled, a rich sound. "The lovebirds. I'm pretty sure there is a vacuum seal connecting their mouths."

I cocked my head at the said lovebirds and couldn't help but agree with Josh. How could they even breathe? "I think you're right."

Josh grinned at me. "I know we were introduced, but we never really spoke. Josh Nickerson is the name."

His smile was infectious. "D.G. Cohen."

"That's short for something, right? I knew I heard Crane call you something else."

I made a face. "Yes but I hate it so don't worry about it. Jonathan and my mom are the only ones who get away with using the other name."

"That bad, huh?" Owen's voice made me jump and I glanced at him. Both he and Belinda's lips were bright red. "How is Crane, by the way?"

"He's okay." I took a sip of my tea. "He's in Gotham now, actually. He's going to Gotham University."

Owen had already busied himself with kissing his girlfriend again and I felt the urge to throw something at him.

Josh whistled, his voice low. "I knew that kid was a smart one. The way those idiots treated him was ridiculous. You know, I tried to talk to him once and he just glared at me. Thinking back, it was probably a defense mechanism."

I couldn't help but giggle a little. "Probably. I offered to take him to the eye doctor's to get his glasses replaced and he acted like I asked him to strip his skin off."

"Well, I'm glad he finally found someone to stand by his side. No one deserves to go through what he's been through, and all alone."

That made me pause. "What has he gone through?"

Josh looked like he wanted to retract his words. After several seconds of silence and let out a breath. "I only moved here when we were in sixth grade so I don't know the exact extent. But I know that he was bullied long before I moved here. I heard the whispers. Scarecow, taunts about how poor he was, how quiet. He just seemed to take it all in stride."

I frowned, my beautiful boyfriend in the front of my mind. He had been through so much. "I have a feeling that there's a strong 'but' coming."

"You're right, of course. Lilly Carothers is the but, so to speak."

"Really?" I followed Josh's eyes to where Lilly sat, smiling and laughing with the in crowd.

The brunette nodded. "Right? You can't tell it now, but Lilly and Jonathan used to be pretty close. I think he might have even 'liked' her." My new friend even used air quotes. "But then something happened. Don't ask me, no one exactly knows. All I know is one day she was best friends with Jonathan and the next she was hanging out with Sherry Williams and Jonathan was sporting a black eye."

Disgust was churning my stomach so I pushed my lunch tray away. "You think she set him up?"

"Yeah." Josh nodded solemnly. "I mean, that's the only thing I can think of. She wasn't friends at all with Sherry before."

Wicked Bitch of the South, indeed.

* * *

As soon as I reached the door to the apartment, the door started ringing incessantly. "Fuck!" I cursed angrily and fed my key to the slot. As soon as I could, I threw the door open and grabbed the phone off the side table. "Hello?"

"You sound out of breath. What's wrong?"

I almost rolled my eyes and slung my back down before kicking the door shut and dead bolting it. "Hello to you too, Jonathan. I just got in."

"You're late?"

"I had to beat Belinda off with a bat. She and Owen are going out tonight and she actually wanted me to go with them and be the third wheel." I toed my shoes off and sat down at the kitchen counter.

"Sounds... entertaining."

"Hardly." I glanced around me before my eyes came to rest on a small white box with white ribbon sitting innocently on the counter. "Huh, I think Mom left her Valentine's present for Daniel."

"Actually, that's for you." My breath caught in my throat. "I'm sorry for not being able to spend our first Valentine's Day together, even though I know it is important to you."

"Jonathan, you didn't have to." I knew his money was tight. He had just gotten a job at the campus book store part-time. "Really. It's not that big of a deal."

He sighed. "It is, too. Open it, Dahlia."

So I did. I held the phone between my head and my shoulder as usual as I carefully unwrapped the ribbon. I took a deep breath before I opened the box, anxious to see what was inside.

A simple silver charm bracelet sat on the annoying fluff that the jewelry stores used. I carefully lifted it out of the box, smiling a little when I saw the tiny charms.

One was a violin, the other was a scarecrow.

"It's beautiful, Jonathan. Thank you so much." I blinked back tears as I carefully (and yet clumsily) hooked it around my wrist. The pearlized charms glittered in the dull light. "But a scarecrow?"

"I knew you would like it. The scarecrow reminded me of the book you mentioned before. Wicked? The Scarecrow and Witch fall in love."

I laughed a little. "They do, but it doesn't end well."

"Yes, well, things like that hardly do. Regrettably, that isn't the only reason I called right away."

"What's wrong?" I still studied my bracelet, smiling at the little details the charms had.

"Bruce Wayne has gone missing."

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys liked it! This one is a bit longer than the others, but it's not the norm. They all vary in length so far. **

**I'd like to thanks all my reviewers and everyone who has favorited and followed! Every alert I get makes the words come that much faster. My muse is annoyingly fickle.**

**I finally saw Dark Knight Rises, by the way, and it was BRILLIANT. I want to see it again already. Wish Crane had a bigger part, but unfortunately my wish will never be realized. -sigh-**


	4. 04

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**04**

"Mom, I think Jonathan's found someone else in Gotham."

Mom looked at me in the mirror as she continued to curl my hair. This Prom stuff was serious business to her. She raised a sculpted brow. "What? What makes you think that?"

"He's constantly busy when I call him now. Just out of nowhere. Before this past week we were fine." I sighed and looked in the mirror. "If you make me look like Shirley Temple, they won't find your body."

"Dahlia, I don't think Jonathan has the social skills needed to cheat. He's taking classes plus teaching classes, he's gonna be busy." She finished the last curl and ran her hand through my hair, making the ringlets looser. "Besides that boy only has eyes for you."

I stood up and grabbed my dress. "I don't know... it's got me worried, though."

"Dahlia, don't worry about stupid stuff today! It's your senior prom!"

"That my boyfriend won't be attending." I rolled my eyes and jumped when the doorbell rang. "That must be Belinda, will you go let her in?"

Mom gave me a smile and nodded. I looked at the dress hanging off my closet door. It really was beautiful, and I was going to force myself to enjoy wearing it. It was an strapless A-line dress, it clung through the bust and hips and flared a little to the floor. It was made of silk and the underneath was a bright blue. The top layer was translucent, it had silver filigree thread work with modest beading. It was pretty simple, but it fitted me perfectly.

I quickly put some light eye shadow and lip gloss on so I wouldn't get it on my dress and slid the dress on, careful not to snag it. I was trying to zip up the back when I head my door open.

"Hey, Belinda, zip me up, would you?"

Footsteps and then two hands that were definitely not Belinda's touched my back, running over the skin before deftly zipping the dress up. I looked into the mirror and my heart literally stopped beating.

Jonathan Crane stood behind me and smiled at me through the mirror. His hair was longer than when I last saw him in January, the ends curling around his ears. He looked thinner, if it was even humanly possible. His thick black glasses had been replaced by thin wire frames that brought out his beautiful eyes. He was wearing a suit with a vest that perfectly matched my dress and I knew in an instant that my mom, Belinda, and Jonathan had to have worked together.

I turned and threw my arms around him. "What are you doing here?!"

He chuckled and put his arms around my waist, bringing me even closer. "I was originally planning on coming down tomorrow for your graduation on Sunday, but your mom told me that Prom was tonight. I couldn't let another man take you, now could I?"

"Of course you couldn't." I laughed. For once, Jonathan's possessive nature worked in my favor. I leaned up and kissed him happily. It had been a long five months and I was ready to lock us both in my room and never let him go again.

Almost as if he heard my thoughts, he pulled back and smirked at me. "As much as I would love for this to continue, I really don't want your mother walking on on us."

I rolled my eyes. "Bite me, Crane." I didn't move for a minute, just taking in the fact that the man I loved was here. It just made things better. "I can't believe you're actually here. I thought you found someone else."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What in the world gave you that stupid idea?"

"I don't know." I shrugged and bit my lip. "You're always busy and I'm being stupid right now."

Jonathan sighed and tilted my face up to his. "D.G., you are one of a kind, believe me. I couldn't replace you even if I wanted to. Which I don't, by the way. You're the only person on the same caliber as me, how could I possibly replace that?"

I smiled and stood on my toes, giving him a quick kiss. "Thank you for putting up with my insecurity. Are you ready to go get blinded by flash photography?"

Jonathan nodded and played with the locket on my neck. "You still wear it."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course I do." I lifted my right wrist and moved it, showing him the charm bracelet he sent me for Valentine's Day. "See? I wear them-"

Jonathan's lips covered mine urgently and his thin hands wound themselves in my curls. I let out a sigh and molded myself against him, standing on my toes to compensate for the height difference. My arms went around his thin waist of their own accord.

A bright flash of light from our right temporarily had me seeing stars. I pulled away and fought the urge to rub my eyes. "Jesus, Mom!"

She laughed and lowered her camera. "I can't help it! You two are so cute!"

I rolled my eyes but I agreed with her. Jonathan looked amazing in his suit, anyone would look great next to him. He smiled graciously at my mother and allowed her to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Beatrice."

"You both do look amazing, if only your father were here, Dahlia!" To my credit, I didn't let my smile falter.

I must have tensed because in less than a heartbeat, Jonathan was pulling me out the door. "We'd better get going, Beatrice. Belinda is meeting us at the restaurant."

"Alright!" If my mother had noticed that anything was amiss, she didn't show it. "Be careful, you two! Have fun!"

We made it out of the apartment without me ripping my dress, to my great surprise. Once the door shut behind us, Jonathan pulled me into his arms again, pressing my face into the fabric of his suit. "You look beautiful, D.G."

"I'm surprised you made it down here. Don't you have class?"

I pulled back from him in time to see him shake his head. "The last day of classes were today. I had all my exams done, so I'm off for three weeks."

Another thought struck me. "How the hell did you get down here? Did Belinda come pick you up from the airport?"

Jonathan just gave me an almost sly smile and helped me down the stairs. He held the door open for me and I stepped out into the Atlanta heat, my eyebrows almost vanishing into my hairline.

Sitting next to my Charger was a shining gray Jeep Wrangler, complete with detachable top. It wasn't _new new_ but it couldn't be more than four years old. "Holy Hell."

"Your Uncle Roger is leasing it to me. I already put my bags in the Charger, so I could surprise you." I tore my eyes away from the Jeep just in time to see the pleased look on my boyfriend's face. "I hope you aren't too attached to your current hairstyle."

"This is brilliant." And it was. I was helped into the seat and Jonathan took his jacket off as he walked around the front of the vehicle, handing it to me to hold. He climbed into the drivers side and gave me another small smile.

Brilliant, indeed.

The restaurant where we were apparently meeting Belinda and Owen was a small one, not unlike the one Falcone used as a base in Gotham. _Antonio's_ was the name that was on the door we walked through, Jonathan holding said door for me.

Belinda attacked me as soon as I stepped through the threshold, giggling like mad. "Were you surprised? Do you love it?"

"I was! I do!" I couldn't hold back the genuine laugh that escaped me as she hugged me. "I don't know what part you had in this, but thank you!"

Belinda pulled back and waved me off with a manicured hand. "I did nothing, absolutely nothing. Your boy did all the planning, the genius he is. And, _GOD_, you look gorgeous!"

Belinda didn't look so bad herself, her tan skin was offset by the shimmering silver dress she wore. It had a loose neckline that was gathered to show a little cleavage. It clung to her hips then flared to the floor. Her dark hair was in an elegant bun and she wore a tiny diamond pendant around her neck.

"You look amazing! Where's Owen?"

A nervous look went over her face. "Yeah, I need to talk to you about that."

Jonathan stiffened behind me and I felt his hand grip my hip through the dress. I looked around Belinda and let my eyes follow his line of sight, my confidence crumbling.

Owen was sitting at the table with Polly, looking like a fucking runway model in a sparkling red dress that wouldn't be misplaced on Jessica Rabbit. Her made up eyes found mine and a smirk graced her red lips before she focused her attention on my man behind me.

Fuck. Me.

* * *

**A/N: They reunite! This is the first part to the Prom chapter, the second one will probably be up by tomorrow or the next day, given everything goes according to plan.**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and especially reviewed! You guys are absolutely _fucking _amazing and I adore every single one of you. Dal Niente and the rest of this series has been a labor of love and I'm glad it's appreciated. **

**And a special thanks goes to _MetalheadKittie_ who has started to translate Dal Niente to Spanish. Being that I'm awful when it comes to every language but English, I can't even begin to express my appreciation for the work she's putting into helping Dal Niente grow.**

**Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! **


	5. 05

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**05**

"What is she doing here?!" Jonathan's voice was no more than a low hiss as he tore his bright eyes from the blonde.

If she was a lesser woman, Belinda would have cowered. However, she leveled a glare at my boyfriend. "I tried to keep it from her but she overheard Owen telling Josh that you would be here! There wasn't exactly anything I could do!"

I glanced around her again. Polly was watching Jonathan very closely, like a cat would watch a mouse just before sinking her claws in. I felt vaguely nauseous and the formerly calm atmosphere of the restaurant seemed to crackle with energy.

Eyes blazing, Jonathan was gearing up to either argue with Belinda or kill her, so I quietly stepped in between them. "It's alright. Really. This isn't going to ruin our senior prom, is that understood?"

Jonathan backed away while still keeping his hand on my hip and he gave a curt nod. Belinda did the same, making the dull lighting dance on her dress. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry, D. Really. I tried to think of an excuse, but she saw through it."

"Really, it's okay." I gave my friend a small smile. "Let's go eat, I'm starving!"

Belinda lead us to the table almost hesitantly. Jonathan walked by my side, his hand never leaving my hip. Owen stood and greeted Jonathan, grinning. He held out his hand for my boyfriend to take. "Hey, man! I'm glad you made it back!"

I glanced up and saw Jonathan's brows furrow. He was quiet for a few seconds before he slowly reached out and shook his hand. "I wouldn't have missed it."

We sat down across from Belinda, Polly, and Owen. Unfortunately, somehow the bombshell blonde had landed the seat directly across from Jonathan, though I'm sure that wasn't an accident on her part.

Polly glanced up through her fake eyelashes at him. "When are you going to dump the leper and meet a real woman, Jonathan?"

My back was instantly straight as a rod and I couldn't bring myself to look up from the table. _Fucking bitch!_ She would ruin our senior prom.

"I don't believe I gave you permission to be so familiar." The quiet edge to Jonathan's voice caused an irrational surge of panic through my veins, even if it wasn't directed at me.

My eyes went to Polly and I could see that she didn't have the same sense of self-preservation I did. She just gave him a simpering smile, one that I knew wouldn't get her anywhere with Jonathan Crane. "Please, Jonathan. We've known each other since we were practically toddlers!"

"Really? I don't seem to remember you at all-" He scowled, his gaze trained on her. He was now the cat, and she the mouse. Sadly for her, Jonathan seemed to like to play with his prey before he dealt the killing blow. "Hold on, I think I do remember something. You were the one that came up with the name that stuck for me, weren't you? _Scarecrow_."

A shiver went up my spine at the malice in his voice. Polly seemed to shrink under his words, going from a blonde bombshell to a normal girl in a too tight red dress. She had apparently been cowed into silence, biting her lip angrily.

Belinda sent me a look, to which I gave a small shrug of my shoulders. What the hell was I supposed to do? Not that I really wanted too, anyways. Call me resentful, but I couldn't deny myself a small measure of satisfaction.

Was it wrong? Absolutely. But at least I wasn't throwing it in her face. _Told you he wanted me, you bitch._

After we placed our orders with the matronly waitress, an awkward silence fell over the table. Jonathan kept his hand firmly on my leg under the table as he stared disinterestedly at the far wall.

"So, Jonathan." Belinda cleared her throat, the tense silence too much for her. "How's Gotham?"

His ice blue eyes swiveled to Belinda but, as usual, she held her ground. "It's... alright. The same idiotic trust fund students, just a different place. It's not nearly as challenging as I had hoped."

Being the absolute lady I am, I almost choked as I took a drink of my water. My eyes watered as I cast a wary look at my boyfriend. "Uh, you're being a snob again."

Belinda just laughed, thank whatever-deity-was-listening. "I think you'll have to go to Harvard or something to get any sort of challenge, Jonathan."

"Please." Now it was Jonathan's turn to snort. "I plan to actually work to get where I want to go, not let the name of an Ivy League school take me there."

I just barely won out against the urge to roll my eyes. Really, I loved Jonathan Crane, more than I could ever imagine. However, there were times he was damn near insufferable.

I cast a glance at him and I saw a certain sparkle in his eyes. Wait- he was actually _teasing_ Belinda. Of course, Belinda had no idea. A small smirk graced his beautiful face and I felt the need to kiss him right then and there. My beautiful, brilliant boyfriend. He was actually putting forth an effort to play nice with these people who had given me a safe haven.

A genuine smile graced my face and I beamed at the waitress when she returned with my plate. This was going to be an awesome Prom.

* * *

I had severely underestimated just how many people were going to be at this prom. _My God._ The room was teeming with teenagers and a few adults. People I hadn't even seen in the school were mingling, some were grinding against others on the dance floor. I tried to pull my eyes away, but it was like a train wreck. Not to mention, even sitting away from the crowds, I felt a bit claustrophobic.

Belinda sat next to me her bare feet resting on my legs. "It's scary, right?"

I nodded blandly. "Is this really considered dancing here?"

"I'm afraid so. Makes you wonder if you can get pregnant by just watching."

"I hate you." Horror had to be plain as day on my face because Belinda promptly cracked up. I shook my head at her until I caught a flash of red out of the corner of my eye.

Polly had apparently found herself a new man, and judging by the dazed look on the poor guys face, she was taking him home tonight.

Belinda followed my gaze and rolled her eyes. "Looks like she moved on rather quickly."

I tossed a look over my shoulder at Jonathan who was engrossed in a conversation with Josh and Owen, his eyes narrowed a little. "Great. It only took her five months of torturing me to do it."

Belinda shifted in her seat, letting me know that I wasn't the only one who thought these seats were uncomfortable. Especially in a freaking dress. "She's not that bad you know." A raised eyebrow was her only response. "No, I'm serious. She's a maneater, but she's not bad if she doesn't want your guy. She went after Owen once."

"Really? And how did that go?"

"About as well as her attempt at Jonathan did. Only Owen was nicer about it. She's just that type."

I made a face as a softer song came on. "Just because she's that type doesn't mean I'm gonna bow and kiss her feet, Belinda."

"I'd hope not. We'd have to decontaminate you and that's not on the agenda for tonight." I almost jumped out of my skin as Jonathan literally appeared in thin air to my right.

I glared at him. "Remember that bell I was talking about?"

The maddening man only gave me a small smirk. "And to think I was going to ask you to dance."

"Seriously?" I gazed up at him. He gave a slight nod and held out a pale hand. I bit my lip before allowing him to pull me to my feet. I quickly kicked off my heels before following him out into the crowd.

Jonathan pulled me to him as the first chorus started, but I was too enthralled by him to really pay attention to the lyrics. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his strong arms wrapped around my waist, ensuring there wasn't a centimeter of space between us. I felt the soft lips I knew so well press to my forehead and I closed my eyes. This was where I belonged.

"Has this social gathering been enjoyable?"

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped. My mother was right, Jonathan didn't have the social skills needed to cheat. He was still as awkward as ever. "Yes, thank you. I'm still in awe that I got to spend it with you." We swayed to the music for a few seconds, enjoying the companionable silence between us. It was very intimate, being this close out in the open. It was almost like he was staking a claim, which he probably was. "Did you notice that not a single person has bothered us?"

"Even if they did, I would have put a swift end to it, I promise you that." Jonathan's voice was so confident and sure, it was impossible to doubt him. "After tomorrow, we will never see these people again, Dahlia."

I knew that and with the exception of Belinda, Josh, and Owen, I wasn't interested in seeing any of them again. My experience in Atlanta had not been a particularly good one. "But, somehow, we found each other."

Another kiss to my forehead was the only answer I needed.

* * *

**A/N: Two in two days! One more chapter and we'll be into the fun parts- college!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I still can't believe that you guys are still following this. I (and D.G.) thank you! Every review, favorite, and follow I get is another kick in the butt to get me motivated to write. I absolutely adore you all, and if you guys ever have any questions about anything, feel free to PM me. =)**

**Anyways, thanks for sticking with me and my unpredictable updating schedule. The next one should be within the next few days, if my luck holds out!**


	6. 06

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**06**

Graduation Day. The day I had been waiting for.

The high school gym was decorated for the occasion, brown and red streamers hanging from the high ceiling. It was over the capacity with all the students sitting on uncomfortable metal chairs and the families on the equally comfortable bleachers. The heat was oppressive, several of the students had unzipped their gowns and I felt my hair sticking to the back of my neck.

"Dahlia Grace Cohen!" My head snapped up and I almost forgot what I was being called for. Faces stared back at me, annoyed that I was taking so long. I stood up and covertly adjusted the awful white gown. The silver cord that marked my high GPA shined in the harsh florescent lighting as I adjusted it so it didn't strangle me.

As I started the short walk to the stage, I glanced into the stands. Jonathan was sitting with my mother and she was clinging to him for dear life. To his credit, he hadn't strangled her yet and it looked like he was tempted.

The makeshift stage loomed before me like a horror movie villain and I had to swallow back the bile in my throat. My heart raced and I felt nauseated. It wasn't like I had to give a speech or anything, but just standing in front of hundreds of people without a violin in my hand gave me panic attacks.

The stairs groaned under my weight and I vaguely registered the fact that they could snap and I would end my graduation in a body cast. The superintendent, a small mousy woman by the name of Miranda Maynard, gave me a smile I knew she meant to be reassuring as I reached for the small leather book that held my diploma. The woman used my hand as leverage to swing me around and a bright flash blinded me for the walk back to my seat.

I spaced out during the rest of the ceremony. My brain felt like it was melting out my ears as the graduating class passed by my seat to receive their diploma books. Weren't diplomas supposed to be rolled up? That's how they do it in the movies. Rip offs.

A weird squeal broke me out of my thoughts and what I saw made me even more sick. Michael Henry was rolling his way up to the stage, his face tense and determined. I felt his gaze on me before he looked away. My face flushed and my gaze stayed on my feet the rest of the ceremony.

"My baby graduated!" I plastered a false smile on my face as my mother found her way through the crowd. Jonathan wasn't far behind and he was glaring at anyone who so much as breathed his way. "I can't believe it! I need pictures! Jonny, get over there by Dahlia!"

Jonathan put me to shame, as usual. He was wearing dark pants and a short sleeve black dress shirt. Ever the cool and calm one, the heat hadn't bothered him in the least. He gave me a small smile as he pulled me to his chest, placing a chaste kiss on my temple. "Congratulations, Dahlia. Now you're free."

Another flash blinded me so I smiled in his general direction. Stupid cameras. "Thanks. I'm glad to be done."

"D.G! Cohen! D!" My smile was real as I turned towards Belinda's voice, gasping when she hugged me tightly. "We're done! For good!"

"I know!" I gave into temptation and bounced with her, laughing when both of our caps fell off. I heard the clicking of the camera, my mom was more into action shots than poses. "You have to come visit us in Gotham!"

"You better believe I will! When are you leaving?" She handed me my cap that had landed on her and I just tossed it.

"Bright and early tomorrow morning. I'm hoping to catch the string quartet auditions on Wednesday."

Belinda pouted at me. "Fine, but when you two get married, I had better be a bridesmaid!"

"Belinda!" I cried and shushed her, my face turning beat red and not from the heat. Luckily for me Owen had apparently joined us at some point and was distracting Jonathan. "We're not going to be getting married, okay? So hush it."

She just gave me a conspiratorial wink and pulled me into another hug. "Whatever you say, D. But I'm getting out of this place, call me when you make it to Gotham, okay?"

I waved a little as she drug Owen away by the front of his gown and I could heart him complaining. "What was that about?"

Jonathan made me jump as he wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my head. I shrugged and disentangled myself from him. Opting to grab his hand instead, I lead him in the direction that I last saw my mother. "Who knows, let's go get something to eat."

* * *

Standing amongst the boxes, I dragged the bow across strings of my violin. A high pitched squeal broke the silence and I winced, my short-lived concentration officially broken.

"You're out of tune, hun." My mother leaned against the door, her arms crossed against her chest. "You're never out of tune."

I resisted the urge to slam the violin against the wall and calmly packed it away in the case. "I didn't see a point in tuning it when it's going to be jostled around in transit."

"You know, for a girl who's moving back to her dream city, you're in a pretty bad mood." Mom moved into the room, checking the taped boxes. "I thought you would be jumping for joy."

"I'm leaving you, mom." I bit my lip. My throat suddenly felt thick. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, sweetie." I was in her arms instantly. I leaned into her, trying to stop the tears from falling. "Baby, you're fine, okay? I knew you were going to go back to Gotham eventually, I got to spend an entire year with you all to myself. You're a woman now, and it's time for you to move on."

"But what if I'm not ready?" I mumbled into her shoulder. "What if I fail?"

She pulled back and glared at me. "You won't fail." I was going to argue with her but she shook her head. "You are a Cohen, Dahlia. Success and hard work is in your blood and you will make your father and I proud."

I forced a small smile on my face. "I hope so." She leaned up and kissed my cheek. "Are you sure you're going to be okay here by yourself?"

"Of course! Kurt and I are getting pretty serious, you know. Maybe it's time for the next step." I blanched, really not ready for where this is going, and she gets this mischievous look on her face. "Dahlia, what condoms do you and Jonathan use? I want to be-"

"**OH MY GOD!**" I yanked myself out of her arms and made to flee the room. I ran face first into Jonathan's chest and I darted past him. "Move! I need ear bleach!"

I head my mother laughing behind me as I ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.

* * *

It was early morning when we finally reached Gotham. After a very long ride with Jonathan in his Jeep in front of me, I was ready to sleep. I pulled my Charger into the parking spot next to where Jonathan parked in the garage.

Given that the last time I had been to Gotham was in the middle of winter, I had half-expected it to be cold out. To my dismay, the heat was just as bad here as it was in Atlanta, although it wasn't as humid.

"Before you even ask," Jonathan's voice carried over to me from where he was already getting bags out of the gray Wrangler. I stood and wandered over to him. "Your father's convertible is in storage. I didn't want to run the risk of it being harmed, plus it was taking up a parking space we need."

"It's okay, that's probably for the best anyways. I'm pretty sure he would haunt me forever if his precious car was scratched." I took the few steps back to my Charger. "I'm just getting my overnight bag for now. I can unpack the rest of the car in the morning when the moving truck gets here."

"Alright." Jonathan led the way out of the garage and across the street to the condo, carrying both his luggage and mine. I held the bags as he unlocked the door and held it open, letting me inside.

The inside of the condo was blissfully cool as we entered the foyer. I flicked on the lights by pure muscle memory and was surprised to see Jonathan hadn't changed anything. In fact, if it hadn't been from the piles of books and papers on the coffee table in the living room, you wouldn't be able to tell anyone lived here.

"You didn't change anything." My tone came out almost accusatory and I flinched. Fuck. That didn't sound right.

Jonathan locked the door behind us and followed me into the living room. "No, I thought we could talk about that after you get settled in. This is your house, D.G., not mine."

"It's my father's house, Jonathan." The pictures on the mantel, the cinnamon candles, everything was _his_. And that's all that was left of him. "We'll talk it over in the morning. I'm exhausted."

I bypassed the kitchen and went straight to my room, almost smiling at the sight of it. It looked exactly the same, as did everything else, although Jonathan's influence could be seen. Books about psychology were on my bookshelf, my desk was full of graded papers from his student teaching program. The closet door was open and some of his less-worn clothes could be seen hanging amongst my older clothes that probably didn't fit.

"Are you alright?" Jonathan was behind me, quiet as a mouse. He shut the door before pulling off his shirt.

I swallowed, the sight of his pale skin always did things to me. "I'm fine. It's just been a long couple of days, you know? And I haven't been able to spend any alone time with you."

He didn't believe me, but he didn't push it. His arms went around me and pulled me to himbefore his mouth descended onto mine. I felt most of the tension melt from my body, responding as it always did.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Jonathan pulled away just far enough that his lips still grazed mine as he spoke, his voice almost a _purr_. "But I think we're alone now."

"So we are." I couldn't keep the smirk off my face as I leaned up to him and sealed my lips to his.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's been soo long! Ugh, I had to recover my computer and I lost EVERYTHING. I had this chapter finished but I had to rewrite it. I'm not too happy with it, but it's as good as it's going to get since it's a boring chapter.**

**I hope you guys like it! Thanks to everyone who took time to review, alert, favorite. It seems that my readers are declining since Dal Niente, if the hits are anything to go by. =( If you guys have any suggestions or even to tell me what parts you like, please review and let me know. I know my update schedule has been kind of wonky, but that won't happen again (hopefully). The link to my Tumblr is on my profile, feel free to contact me there as well.**

**Also, I hope that everyone from the southern US that is dealing with Isaac is safe. You are all in my thoughts.**


	7. 07

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**01**

Something jarred me out of my sleep. Everything seemed a bit... off. Like I could actually feel the world spinning, only less dramatic and inside my skull.

I felt an awful burning in my throat as I blinked at Jonathan's clock on my nightstand. Four-thirty. I couldn't keep myself from coughing, my burning increasing by ten. Jonathan was still asleep next to me, his face even more beautiful in it's relaxed state.

Looking at him made me restless. I found myself getting out of bed and padding my way out of the room, smothering another coughing fit as I went. If I couldn't sleep, I wasn't going to keep Jonathan up if I could help it.

The townhouse was cold and near silent as I made my way down the stairs to the living room. Without my father, this house itself seemed to have lost all it's comforting ability. I used to feel safe and wanted here. Now I felt like a trespasser. Jonathan called me silly, but my heart told me this was more of a tomb than a house.

Nevertheless, I curled up on the ridiculously comfortable tan couch. The cool faux leather gave me goosebumps so I grabbed the red patchwork blanket off the back and wrapped myself up. After another coughing fit, I turned on the TV.

As the screen flickered on, a blown up picture of a dark figure went across the screen before a bald man in an ugly green suit appeared. The man blinked his small eyes before clearing his throat. "Yes, that picture is believed to be Bruce Wayne, heir to the million-dollar Wayne Enterprises. Mr. Wayne was reported missing by his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, the day after Joe Chill's parole hearing."

I felt the burning again and I coughed again, the spasms more violent than before. "Ugh.." I wiped my mouth and cringed.

During my fit, the bald man had transformed into another equally bald man, only this one wore a pinstripe suit. A bit of an improvement. His mousy face negated the suit, though. "I think Wayne finally couldn't face it, Charles. He's always been a bit of a brat, dropping out of Princeton like it wasn't good enough for him."

"You're just jealous." My voice came out a harsh whisper. Yep, I'm sick. I grabbed the remote and changed the channel, settling on the cooking channel.

"Dahlia, why aren't you in bed?" I didn't even hear Jonathan come up behind me so I damn near jumped out of my skin. He was clad in only a pair of his PJ pants and his hair was adorably mussed, an entire patch sticking up on the right side.

I shrugged under my blanket. "Not..." I broke into coughs. "Feeling well. I didn't want to wake you."

As soon as he heard the rasp in my voice, Jonathan was wide awake. He crossed the space between us in a single step and was sitting across from me. I couldn't help but flinch away when I felt his cold hand on my forehead. "You're burning up. Thermometer?"

"Bathroom." Just saying that felt like trying to swallow glass shards. Jonathan was gone for a second, two tops.

"Open your mouth." I rolled my eyes and made to take the thermometer, only to have it snatched back. "Dahlia." His eyes narrowed on me.

Exasperated, I opened my mouth, closing it again on the thermometer. I mumbled something obscene. My boyfriend pursed his lips and watched me like a hawk, only glancing at the VCR occasionally to check the time.

I let me head roll back onto the back of the couch and didn't even bother to look up when the thermometer was plucked from under my tongue. "Alright. Tylenol it is and then back to bed."

"Not a... child." I couldn't keep from coughing and my chest was starting to ache.

Jonathan wasn't having any of that, though. He helped -more like pulled- me up to my feet. "Your temperature is high, Dahlia. If you don't cooperate, I will have to assume that thermometer wasn't accurate and will take you to the hospital, where they take temperatures in a more... _direct route_."

If I could talk, I'd be telling him exactly what he could do with the thermometer.

He had me back in my bed with the covers pulled damn near up to my chin before he left me again. He left the door ajar so I heard him jogging down the steps. When I was sure he was gone, I reclined against my pillows and stole the TV remote.

Jonathan was back before I could decide on something to watch. His glasses were perched on his nose and he was carrying a cup and a pill bottle. The scars on his arms and sides glinted in the light from the TV. He scowled at me before pulling the remote out of my weak hands. "You need to sleep, not watch mindless television. Take these and close your eyes."

He handed me two white pills and the cup of water. I downed them both, grateful for the way the cold soothed my throat a little. Without another word he turned to go and I panicked. I lunged and grabbed his arm. Jonathan turned back to me, his blue eyes wide.

Since my voice sounded like that of a sixty year old chain smoker, I just patted the bed next to me. The man's eyes went from me to the bed and back to me before a small smile broke out on his face. "Alright."

I gave him a pained smile in return as he climbed into bed with me. Giving him time to get adjusted, I pulled the glasses off his face. I guess it was a testament to how long we've been together that the intimate move didn't even phase him anymore.

Finally situated, Jonathan pulled me against him so my back rested against his chest. To my fevered skin, his cool touch felt like pain and paradise all at once. My eyes slid closed and I registered his lips on my shoulder before the darkness washed over me.

* * *

I woke up to a kiss to my forehead and I blinked my eyes open. Sunlight was streaming through the blinds and Jonathan was sitting next to me on the edge of the bed, now dressed in a pair of jeans and a short sleeved shirt. "Hey, there." He gave me another small smile. "How are you feeling?"

I frowned and took inventory. My chest still ached but I didn't feel the need to cough and the stabbing pain in my throat dulled to an annoying throb. "Better. I think." My voice still sounded awful.

Jonathan nodded. "Your fever broke a couple hours ago. I'm going to make a trip to the store to get ingredients for soup, does that sound alright?"

I smiled. "Please. And green tea?" He smiled back and his face got closer to mine before I put my hand on his forehead to stop him. "You'll get sick."

He raised a thin dark eyebrow and I knew he took this as a challenge. Before I could stop him, he swooped in and his lips brushed mine softly. My eyes fluttered closed as his lips were pressed from my mouth to my nose and from my nose to my forehead. "Like a mere virus could keep me away from you." I almost giggled as he kissed my cheek before standing. "Stay in bed, the remote is on stand if you want to watch that mind-melting drivel. I'll be right back."

"I love you." He made it to the door before turning around, his gaze warm.

"I love you, too."

* * *

**A/N: It's short! I know. But I've been sick lately (hence where I got my inspiration, too bad I didn't have Jonathan taking care of me. Sigh.). I just wanted to get this out so you guys know I didn't forget about you.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, etc. You guys are seriously the best ever and I love all of you!**

**Remember, my Tumblr link is on my profile if you're interested. The next chapter should be out in a couple days if I can kick this cold.**


	8. 08

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**08**

The clock ticked slowly by as I sat in the hard plastic seat, balancing my violin case on one knee and my sheet music on the other. The inside of the Elizabeth Wayne Music Hall was extremely cold for it being August, making me wish I had brought a jacket. I stayed as far away from the white block wall as I possibly could, I could feel the cool radiating.

A wave of nausea almost sent me scurrying to the bathroom. I had been so nervous about this second call back that I had been sick for the past two weeks. I needed this place in the Gotham University String Orchestra. If I didn't get it, then my career was over before it began.

I glanced around the cold room with the even colder gray cement flooring and realized I was the last one. Jesus fucking Christ. The twitchy blonde with the New York accent and cello had been called back and I didn't realize it.

I shifted again on the blue chair and fought another surge of nausea. I really did have a good reason to be nervous, even though I admit my level of anxiety was kind of ridiculous. Director Anthony Lyons was famous for being fickle and a musical badass. He was also famous for his good-looks, supposedly of royalty-caliber, but that part didn't mean much to me. Other than I hated him for being talented _and_ beautiful.

I vaguely remembered telling Harleen I would meet her in the courtyard after her class, so I hoped I would be able to keep it together until then.

"Dahlia Cohen?" I jumped a little, my eyes flitting to the steel door that wasn't open seconds ago. In the door way stood Anthony Lyons himself, and forget beautiful, gorgeous was a better word for him. He had an angular face that spoke of generations of good breeding and cool blue eyes. His dark hair was mussed fashionably and I was struck by how young he was, far too young to be the director of such an amazing string orchestra. I also couldn't help compare him to Jonathan and, despite his obvious beauty, find Anthony Lyons lacking. Even in his designer suit, he didn't hold a candle to Jonathan Crane.

I stood quickly, almost knocking my violin to the floor and succeeding in scattering my sheet music. "Sorry!"

The man laughed and bent to help me pick up my scattered sheet notes. "It's quite alright, Ms. Cohen." His voice had a light Irish accent. "I understand being nervous. Been there myself, I'm afraid."

Okay, so the guy seemed to be nicer than the rumors stated. I stood and brushed off my black pants anxiously. "Yes, well, if I fail, there goes my career." Jesus, D.G., why don't you just announce your desperation to the world? I couldn't stop the word-vomit. "And then goes my life as I know it and I'll end up working at some fast food-"

The Director held up his hand and my teeth clicked audibly as my mouth finally stilled. "Why don't we just go in there and you can show my what you can do?"

I nodded and entered the room when he held the door open. It was spacious, but obviously not a full orchestral room. The walls were wood panels that were a shade lighter than the dark flooring and there were no windows. There were more of the uncomfortable chairs set up on risers Lyons waved me towards a table in the middle of the floor. "Set up, start whenever you're ready."

I swallowed and nodded. I began to unpack the white violin that my father gifted to me as my judge made himself comfortable on the front most center chair, his eyes trained on me. My anxiety kicked up another notch as I realized how alone we were. I had expected a committee, not just the Director himself.

I took a deep steadying breath before placing the violin in it's proper position. My heart beat frantically as I placed my chin on the chin rest and began _Sonata No. 1, Presto_. My hands were shaking so bad that not even ten notes into it, my hand slipped. The piercing wale of the violin permeated the silence and my heart plummeted out of chest and onto the floor, rolling for cover.

"I'm sorry, that sucked." A thousand well-spoken apologies and excuses were on my tongue and **that** was what I blurted out. My cheeks flamed as I made to pack away my violin.

"Do you know how many _Sonatas_ I've had to suffer through today, Ms. Cohen?" Lyon was still sitting, his hands steepled on a crossed knee. His face was stern and his voice controlled.

I shook my head and brushed my hair out of my face. "No, sir."

"Twelve. Four well-played and eight horrendous _Sonatas_. I can see that you have some serious potential, Dahlia."

"D.G."

Confusion flickered across his face. "What?"

"My name is D.G." I tried to keep my voice strong but it broke a little.

The tension in the quiet room could have been cut with a dull knife. The man across the room regarded me as one would an interesting insect, perhaps a new species. My heart was still cowering under the table and I'm pretty sure that my breakfast was going to join it.

Finally, Lyon's lips quirked into a small smile. "I think we both know that the normal pieces don't fit you, D.G. Play me something that does."

The relief that coursed through my body was almost palpable. I nodded and moved the violin back to it's place. I knew exactly what to play.

As I played the final notes, I felt lighter than air. There had been no mistakes, no screeches of the strings. It had been perfect.

When I was finished I put the violin back in it's case carefully, snapping the clasps before I turned to the Director.

He was in the same position as before, his expression guarded as he eyed me. "Was that an original?"

"Yes, sir." I bit my lip. I had taken a big risk in playing that for him and by the way he was acting, it seemed like the risk was going to bite me on the ass.

"It was very... interesting. Rather dark, I'd say, despite the light beginning. May I ask what your inspiration was?"

I swallowed, my throat feeling thick and gross. "My father, sir. He was murdered this past winter. I had originally started writing it for him as a Christmas present, but it wasn't finished before he... died."

Nothing seemed to surprise this man. He just nodded, not quite sympathetically. "Welcome to the Gotham University Orchestra, Ms. Cohen."

He said this with such a straight face that my mind momentarily blanked. "Wait, what?" It took forever for it to sink in. "You mean, I'm in?"

I couldn't keep the pure joy from the face as he nodded, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "Of course, you'll need to work more on your classical renditions, but you are the breath of fresh air that this place needs." He stood and brushed imaginary wrinkles out of his pants. "First practice is in two weeks, but we're having a small get-together Saturday for you new kids to get acquainted with the rest. It's at five, in the hall."

Nodding, I collected all my sheet music and walked out of the room as he held the door open for me. "I'll be there."

As I walked to the courtyard, I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

Harleen was sitting on a stone bench, her face buried into a book. I didn't have to see her face to know it was her, I could spot the blonde pigtails from a mile away.

She glanced up from her book as I sat down next to her, straddling the bench. As soon as she saw the smile on my face, she squealed happily. "You got in! I knew it!"

I nodded happily, swinging my feet. "I totally fucked up the _Sonata_, but he gave me another chance and I'm in!"

Harleen laughed and lunged at me, pulling me into an embrace. When she pulled back, she had a thoughtful look on her face. "That is kind of odd, though. I was talking to another student who tried out last year and he threw her out because she played a single note wrong. He didn't even let her finish out the song."

"Huh." My brows knitted together. "Maybe he's just feeling more charitable this year? He said I had potential."

She shrugged it off. "Maybe. So, want to get some lunch?"

I shook my head. "I've been so nervous that I get sick almost every time I eat. I really don't feel like puking in public."

Harleen nodded absently, now flipping through her book, which I noted was one Jonathan had as well. _The Wonders of the Mind, Second Edition_. Whatever. "How long have you been sick?"

I shrugged and started picking at my shirt. "Like two weeks. But I'm sure since the audition is over, it will go away."

She looked up, her face was alarmed. "Have you and Jonathan had unprotected sex?"

"What?!" I could feel my face heat up for the second time. "No! We're not stupid, Harleen. I'm on the pill."

"Oh," she sighed, obviously relieved. "Good. You scared me for a minute there. Are you sure that you've been taking it regularly?"

"Yes! I take it as soon as I wake up every day..." But as I spoke, realization came upon me. The day I was sick, the single fucking day that I was sick. I slept through noon and forgot to take it. "Jesus Christ."

"That settles it." The blonde grabbed me by the hand and pulled me up, heading in the direction of the nearest convenience store. "We're going to find out. Right now."

* * *

**A/N: Things are gonna get pretty dark from here on out, kiddos. If anything like this is a trigger for you, skip over the next couple of chapters.**

**Anyways, how did you like it? Let me know! The reviews and PMs I get make me so much happier. I'm still noticing quite the drop off in readers, I hope it's temporary. But thank you to everyone whose stuck with it thus far.**

**Interlude is only gonna last a couple more chapters and then we'll be getting into the next story line. As always, I do not have a beta nor the time to read over this the 100000 times to make sure that everything is perfect, so forgive the typos. **


	9. 09

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**0****9**

Two pink lines had never seemed so foreboding.

I had been staring at them for at least a good ten minutes. I was hunkered down in the bathroom of Harleen's apartment and I could tell from the sounds outside the closed door that my friend was getting impatient. No matter how long I stared at the sinister lines on the pregnancy test, it would not register.I read the instructions, I knew what those two lines meant.

_Pregnant._

_I'm fucking pregnant._

My heart clenched in my chest and I slid down the white tile wall. How had this happened? How had I been so stupid? I threw the test against the wall and put my head in my hands.

"D, if you don't let me in, I'm gonna pick the lock!" Harleen was pounding on the cheap door again. It wasn't locked, but if she couldn't figure that out herself, she could sit outside. She could probably knock it off the hinges if she had really wanted to, anyways.

God, what was Jonathan going to say? At that thought, another wave of nausea hit me and I just enough enough time to reach the toilet before my gag reflex brought up the contents of my already empty stomach.

I heard the door open behind me and Harleen was holding back my hair, rubbing my back. "It's okay, D; we'll figure something out."

My stomach settled again, I pulled away and gratefully took the wet washcloth that was handed to me. "I'm fucked, Harleen. Literally and figuratively. What do you think is going to happen when I tell Jonathan?"

"I don't know, D. But whatever does happen, I'll be here. You can even stay here if you need to, I've got an extra room that would be big enough for a bed and a crib." She was still rubbing my back.

I knew she meant this to be comforting, but the thought of a crib made my stomach roll again. "Ugh, Harl, do you have an extra toothbrush?"

"Sure do, hun." I was lucky my friend was strong, she hauled me to my feet. Because I was weak from not eating plus the stress, my legs shook even as I leaned against the sink. Harleen handed me a sparkling pink toothbrush and quietly excused herself, shutting the door behind her.

If this had been any other moment, I would have found humor in the ridiculous toothbrush but the stark white tiles of the walls and floor just made everything seem that much more real.

I was eighteen and pregnant. Unemployed and pregnant. Unmarried and pregnant. Living in sin and pregnant. I quickly found the toothpaste with shaking hands, applying far too much, and then stuffed the brush in my mouth to give myself something to do.

Brushing furiously, I barely even noticed that my gums bled until I went to rinse my mouth out. Ugh. I looked up and into the cracked mirror above the fake marble sink. Rings were under my green eyes and I was paler than usual, the few freckles scattered across my cheeks and nose standing out more than usual. My hair was limp and stuck to my face from sweat and tears. Awesome.

I threw some water onto my face before leaving the bathroom.

Harleen was sitting on her worn gray couch. My stress must be rubbing off on her, too, because she looked almost as bad I did. She glanced up as I padded onto the green carpet. "I just ordered Chinese, sit and we'll watch a movie till it gets here."

As tempting as it was to hide away forever in Harleen's apartment, I knew it wasn't an option. I leant against the beige wall. "I've got to go, Harl. I need to tell Jonathan and just get it over with."

"I agree." Harl nodded. "That's why I called him and told him to come over."

Wait, what? "Why would you do that?!" My voice was so high it was almost a squeal.

"Because you aren't going anywhere until you eat and I know you won't eat until you tell him. So, I called him out of his teaching class and told him it was an emergency. He should be here any minute." Her blue eyes didn't leave the trashy TV show she was watching, her fingers playing in her hair.

Was the whole world against me or something? This couldn't be happening. No, not now.

The front door opening made my heart skip a beat and I knew by the rushed footsteps that this was happening** now**.

"Dahlia, are you okay? Harleen called." I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to force the tears back behind my eyes. I turned to face him.

He had obviously run from the campus, his pale skin had a healthy flush. His eye found mine and he knew instantly something was very, very wrong. I bit down on my lip. "We need to talk."

I heard a door shut behind me and I knew Harleen had gone into her bedroom to give us privacy. "What's going on?" Jonathan reached for me but I stepped back, my knees trying to give out. "What aren't you telling me, Dahlia?"

"I'm.." I ran a hand over the back of my neck, trying to stop my voice from shaking. Tears clouded my vision and my throat seemed to swell. "I'm pregnant, Jonathan."

Jonathan stilled completely, the hand that was outstretched falling to his side. The cool mask that he usually wore was broken, an expression of pure shock in it's place. The flush in his skin had blanched, leaving only paper white skin in it's wake. Minutes passed before he seemed to gather himself, his face steeling over. "How could you let this happen?"

That was almost like a punch to the stomach, no pun intended, and I felt winded. "I forgot to take one pill! When I was sick!"

"You still should have remembered!" Anger seemed to be the emotion he was going with now and I had never seen the fire in his eyes directed at me before. "Jesus, Dahlia! We're eighteen!"

"You think I don't know that!" I was shrieking now and I didn't care. "How do you think I feel, Jonathan? You think this is a fucking walk in the park for me, too?"

"Please." He scoffed. "You probably planned this from the very start, you wanted to trap me didn't you? You knew I was going to do great things and you couldn't keep yourself from ruining that for me, could you? Just because you're the first to open your legs for me doesn't mean I'm going to marry you, Dahlia, and a child doesn't change that!"

Red clouded my vision and before I could stop myself, my palm struck. Rage clouded my judgment. My heart pounded a frantic beat in my chest as I swiped angrily at the tears that were sliding down my face. I glared at Jonathan as his hand felt his cheek, the slap making it red. "Well, what are you waiting for? You want out? There's the fucking door, Crane. Don't let it hit your bony ass on the way out."

My now ex-boyfriend seemed to come to his senses and for a second he looked panicked. "D.G.-"

"Get. Out." I ground out from between my teeth. "You want nothing to do with me, with us? Fine. I'm staying here tonight, have your stuff out of the townhouse by morning or I'm calling Gordon."

"Fine." His gaze on me grew cold. The man I loved gave me a swift nod before turning on his heel. He stalked out of the apartment in the long strides I knew so well, slamming the apartment door hard enough to shake the hinges behind him.

When I heard the elevator doors close, I fell to the dingy carpet and finally succumbed to the sobs that were wracking my body.

My heart hurt. That was the only way I could think to describe it. It felt like when Jonathan left, he tore it straight out of my chest and took part of it with him.

Harleen had come out of her room right after Jonathan walked out and held me until my cries became soft hiccups. She hadn't said anything, just running her thin hands through my hair like he had done so often before. She didn't get up until the delivery guy rang the door the fifth time and then she threw the money at him like _he_ was the one that broke my heart.

What had I done? We had both let anger get the best of us and now we didn't exist anymore. That thought brought another wave of tears that I fended off, not really willing to cry into my Lo Mein.

"I meant what I said, D." Harleen's voice broke me out of my thoughts. She was staring at me. "You can stay here as long as you need, okay? Joseph too."

"Joseph?" I couldn't stop myself. My voice was scratchy from all the crying I had done and I cringed.

"Well, yeah. You weren't planning on giving Crane the baby were you? Because if so I'm fighting for parental rights." She stuck her nose up in the air in mock arrogance and I couldn't help but let out a tired chuckle.

"I'm not naming my baby Joseph, Harl. What if it's a girl?"

"Sunshine Flowerpot it is then!" Harleen and I just looked at each other before we both broke into laughter.

"You're ridiculous!" I was in hysterics, tears streaming down my face for the hundredth time in such a short time span.

It took us a few moments to calm and we were both wiping tears off our faces when she turned to me, her eyes shining. "You'll get through this. Crane'll come around, you're the only one that can stand him for any length of time." I shrugged, my good mood deflating. "Don't you shrug at me. I bet when we go to the townhouse tomorrow he'll be waiting with all the bells and whistles. Flowers, chocolates, the works."

"What?" I raised my eyebrows at her. "We are talking about the same Jonathan Crane, right? Tall, skinny as a rail, obsessed with fear?"

"And the love of your life, of course." Harleen grabbed a piece of sweet and sour chicken off my plate and popped it into her mouth. I glared at her halfheartedly.

"Yeah, well, the love of my life walked out the door."

"After you punched him in the face."

"Ugh!" I pushed my plate away in exasperation. "I didn't punch him! I slapped him and that's not nearly as much as he deserved for what he said to me!"

Harleen stood and grabbed my plate before heading around the corner into her tiny green kitchen. Really, the color scheme of this place was digusting. "Alright, prego. Chill. Rein in the hormones."

"Shut up." I stuck my tongue out at her before standing up as well. "I think I'm gonna go lay down if you don't want help, being hormonal and all is exhausting."

"Night!" She called from the kitchen and I returned the sentiment before shutting the door behind me.

The guest room was small and bare, with white walls and the same ugly green carpet from the living room. The only way you could tell it was inhabited was the single twin bed against the left wall and a desk with an older typewriter on the wall opposite.

I didn't even bother to pull back the covers before I turned the light off and fell onto the bed. I figured I would cry and even though my chest ached, my eyes were dry. I just wanted to fall asleep and forget this day even happened but the lack of _his_ arms around me didn't help. The comfortable darkness didn't come soon enough.

* * *

**A/N: Don't kill me! You know what they say, everything happens for a reason, right? Right?**

**I'm actually pretty proud of this chapter, I put a lot of work into it. So, I hope you guys will let me know how you feel about it!**

**Thank you to those who do review and favorite, every single one of them means a lot to me and you guys are awesome.**

**Anyways, if you have a Tumblr, feel free to follow me. Link is on the profile. Next chapter should be up within a few days.**


	10. 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**10**

Jonathan wasn't at the townhouse the next day. None of his stuff was, either. The books that cluttered almost every surface, the notes tacked to the cork board on the dining room wall. I didn't even need to go upstairs to know that my room would be bare, too. Our shared closet would be half empty, the bookshelf barely full instead of overflowing. It was if someone had taken whiteout to everything that was Jonathan, leaving behind an aching crevice that only seemed to get deeper.

If I thought I hurt before, it was nothing compared to this.

Thankfully, Harleen had decided to stick around rather than just dropping me off because I don't think I could have taken the reality check by myself. She put her hands on my shoulders. "You okay?"

I shrugged. "I don't know." I tried to keep my voice light but it cracked on the last syllable. "This is my fault, though. I kicked him out, not the other way around."

"Only because he was being a dick." Harl flopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV. "He'll be begging you back in no time. He scares most of the other kids here."

I laughed at that before a sobering thought crossed my brain. I still had to tell my mother. "I'm gonna call my mom, you can stay if you want. I'd like the company."

She nodded as I picked the phone off it's cradle. "Sure. I'm gonna rifle through the fridge and see what we can cook. As much as I love takeout, too much isn't good for Josephina."

I rolled my eyes at her before leaving the room and walking out onto the small wooden deck on the backside of the house. I quickly dialed my mom's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Dahlia! How are you?"

The sound of my mother's voice through the phone line instantly calmed me a little. "Not so good, Mom. We need to talk."

There was a pause. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

I took a deep breath and fought the words that were stuck in my throat. "Mama, I'm pregnant."

There was a long silence punctured by a choking sound. "Dahlia, if this is a joke, this isn't funny!"

"Jesus, Mom, do you really think I'd joke about something like this?" I ran my free hand over my face. "It's not like I had planned this either, you know."

"Let me talk to Jonathan."

And this was where it was going to get interesting. "He's not here."

"What do you mean he's not there?" My mother's normally soft voice was an octave above normal and I winced.

"He.. I kicked him out." There wasn't any use beating around the bush now. "When I told him, he threw a fit. He told me I did it on purpose to sabotage him or something. He basically called me a jealous whore so I slapped him and kicked him out."

My mother gave me a long-suffered sigh. "That boy... You are so much like your father, it's scary sometimes. Have you made a doctor's appointment yet, sweetheart?"

"Not yet, I'm going to once I get off the phone with you. You know, you're being awfully cavalier about this whole pregnancy thing, Mom."

"You're eighteen years old, Dahlia. You live on your own, have your own money, what can I say? Besides, yelling at you wouldn't be productive and it wouldn't change that fact that my baby's having a baby. God, why were you two so stupid?" The calm facade broke and I could hear her sniffling.

"Mom, I'll figure something out, okay? I promise."

"Sure." Another sniffle. "Fine. But you have to come pick me up from the airport tomorrow."

"What?" I was starting to panic. "No. Mom. No. No. No."

"Sorry, Dahlia, but if Jonathan isn't around, then you're going to need help. I'm going to get the earliest flight available." Jesus Christ, this was not going how I wanted it to go. I would have preferred anger to this. "Call me back after you call the doctor and we'll go from there, okay?"

I was in a state of shock so all I could do acquiesce and hope for the best.

The call to the doctor's office was quick and luckily for me, they had an appointment open only two days away. I had managed to not cry during the phone call, so I figured that was an improvement.

Harleen was in the kitchen at the stove so I sat on a stool by the island. She barely cast me a glance over her shoulder. "And?"

"She took it remarkably well. Well, other than she kind of broke down there at the end and called me stupid, but I guess I deserved that."

"You did." She moved a pan around on the stove and frowned. "You know, if you don't plan on selling this place, you should at least put a gas stove in. Electric sucks."

"I happen to like electric, thanks." I stuck my tongue out at her and jumped when a loud ring sounded through the townhouse.

It had scared Harleen, too. She turned, wielding a spatula. "What was that?!"

"That" I slid off the stool and paused, waiting for the nausea to subside. "Was the doorbell. I'll be right back."

"Nah," Harl threw the spatula back onto the stove. "Sit. I'll get it. Pregnant women should never answer the door, you know. What if it's a creeper or something?"

"What- Fine." I sat back down and watched her walk away before grabbed a magazine that was sitting on the island, rifling through it.

After a few seconds I heard a muffled expletive and looked up when not one but two sets of footsteps headed this way. Harleen walked through the doorway, an aggravated look on her face. "Well, I was right about the creeper part."

"Move, Quinzel." The voice made my heart hurt and seeing Jonathan did nothing to help that feeling. His eyes were cold and expressionless when he caught sight of me. "We need to talk, Dahlia."

The tone of his voice rubbed me the wrong way and I found myself glaring at him. "What exactly do we need to discuss, Jonathan?"

"You know what. Please, can we talk?" Harl didn't move so his glare focused on her instead. "In. Private."

"You know what? I really don't feel like talking to you right now, Jonathan." I stood and brushed the wrinkles out of my shirt. "In fact, I don't know if I'm **ever** going to feel like talking to you. Being a pregnant whore has put somethings into perspective."

Jonathan ran a hand through his mussed hair in aggravation. "Christ, Dahlia, just hear me out, alright?"

"Fine!" I slid open the sliding glass door and stomped outside, well aware of his eyes on my back as he followed. When I heard the door close again I rounded on him. "What the fuck do you want? Isn't it bad enough to knock me up and then accuse me of doing it on purpose? Need to rub some salt on the wound?"

"I'm sorry!" His face contradicted his words. His eyes were blazing in the evening sunlight as they settled on mine. "I never expected... You were on birth control.."

"Yeah, well, apparently antibiotics fuck up birth control. You're going to be a doctor, shouldn't you have known that?" I wasn't being fair but I had long given up trying to control my anger.

"Gynecology is a far cry from Pharma-Psycology! You can't blame me for this!"

"You mean like you can blame me? Goddamn it, Jonathan, do you really think I wanted to be pregnant at eighteen?" My rage slowly simmered away and I felt tears gather behind my eyes. Fuck, I really didn't want him to see me cry.

And of course, being the brilliant idiot he is, Jonathan took notice of the shift. "Dahlia, please. I... you know I'm not good at this. I let my anger get the best of me."

I let out a sigh and sat down on the warm concrete of the patio. The damned tears leaked out of my eyes and I brushed them away quickly. "Whether you meant them or not, Jonathan, I heard them. And they hurt. I'm so fucking scared right now and you just affirmed all those fears for me. So, thanks."

I kept my head down. I heard Jonathan sit down next to me, close enough for our legs to rest against each other. I pulled away. "You're not the only one who is afraid, Dahlia." His voice was soft again. It was the same voice that he used to soothe the nightmares of my father's bloody corpse. "It's not like I had a great parental influence. I've never even met my father. I don't know the first thing about being a... dad."

I laughed but it was humorless. "We're going to be awesome parents. Both of yours left. My dad was a cheater and my mom has a complex."

Jonathan took a chance and intertwined his hand with mine. I thought of pulling away again but left it alone. "Between the both of us, I think we can manage to raise a child without messing up too badly. If we do manage to give it major childhood trauma, at least there will be a psychologist close by."

"Very funny." I glanced up to see Jonathan give me a bemused smile. My heart skipped a beat and I inwardly berated myself. I was forgiving him too easily. "I'm not ready for you to move back in. Not yet. I need more time."

"Okay." Jonathan nodded, his expression somber again. "I understand. I'm staying with a friend of campus right now." I couldn't keep the look of disbelief off my face and he chuckled a little bit. "His name is Edward, he's in my Psychology course. He gave me a good verbal beating yesterday, you know. He's a narcissistic sociopath with a God complex and even he was able to see that made a huge mistake."

"Sounds like your type." I mumbled and ignored the leer he sent me. "I have a doctor's appointment in two days, Thursday. It's at two-thirty. I know you have a class, but I'd like it if you could come."

"I'll be there." His voice let it be known that it was a promise. "I'll pick you up here around one, okay? We'll get lunch and then go."

I bit my tongue. I wasn't sure about the whole date aspect but I agreed with one change. "How about I meet you at the dorm? I have to put an application at the cafe on campus anyways."

"That's fine." Jonathan seemed eager to go with whatever I wanted at this point. Shame, really. If I had known that, I would have cooked up something much more entertaining. "Edward's dorm is in Buckner Hall. Just wait for me outside and we'll go from there."

"D!" I jumped at the sound of Harleen's trill behind us. "Dinner! Get rid of the creeper! He's not invited."

Next to me Jonathan rolled his eyes to the heavens before standing. He held his hand out to me and I took it lightly. When I was standing he pulled me to him and I barely contained the surprised squeak that burst from my throat.

He pressed me to his chest and I breathed in his familiar scent that was pure _Jonathan_. He didn't do anything else, just rubbed small circles on my back. "We'll work through this, right?"

I pulled away slightly and stared straight into his eyes. Finding no dishonesty, I merely nodded. I couldn't trust myself to do anything more.

A sad smile crossed Jonathan's lips briefly before his planted a small kiss to my forehead and his hand lingered on my stomach. His other pressed something into my palm. "If you need anything- and I mean anything, call. If I'm not there, Edward will make sure I get the message." He pecked my nose this time and I stood as still as possible, not sure what to do. "I love you, Dahlia. I'll see you Thursday."

I watched him walk into the house, leaving the door open behind him. I vaguely heard Harl throw abuse at him, which he waved off before disappearing into the dark of the hallway. I made sure the door banged shut before I gave into the tears that were burning my eyes.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so sorry for my absence! I won't bore you with the specifics but it's over now. So updating should be semi-regular again.**

**I was influenced heavily by Adam Lambert's Better Than I Know Myself with this chapter. Go watch the video on Youtube, he's a brilliant vocalist and I absolutely adore him.**

**Some of you expressed concern over D.G.'s pregnancy, worrying that it's stereotypical. I promise, this story (to me at least) is anything but stereotypical and I have a reason for everything. Just stay with me, okay guys?**

**Anyways, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, alerted, everything! I love all you guys so much and I'm going to try to reply personally from now on, though my toddler sometimes gets in the way.**

**The next chapter should be up next week if all goes well, so keep an eye out!**


	11. 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Jonathan Crane (sadly) nor Batman. I don't claim to own them. I don't make any profit off of this. I'm just having fun.

**Interlude**

**11**

I was lucky it was such a nice day. Fall was setting in, the leaves changing and temps falling. It stayed at about sixty today which made it a perfect day for relaxing on campus. I hadn't had much morning sickness so I was in a good mood as I waited for Jonathan. I pulled on the sleeve of my shirt and stared up at the building in question.

Buckner Hall was probably one of the more imposing buildings on the Gotham U campus. It was one of the older gothic ones, complete with red bricks and enough stone gargoyles to frighten small children. It had been built as a mansion for the old Buckner family when the city of Gotham had been nothing more than a cluster of small houses. The newly formed Gotham University had bought it several generations later after Josiah Buckner bankrupt the family and their paper mill then subsequently murdered his wife and four children plus all the staff.

I was sitting on a picnic bench outside of said dorm, remembering all the stories my father had told me about the building. He had been a resident there during his first year at Gotham U and he swore to anyone that would listen that the place was haunted. His books went missing only to reappear in the old swimming pool. One day the poor man had to go without shoes because every single pair had disappeared for a week, which was quite a feat since my father had always seemed to have a sort of shoe fetish.

"Oh my, you're her aren't you? The little musician that caught Crane's attention."

I had to stifle a shriek as a distinctly male voice sounded to my right. A ginger kid, not much older than me, stood stiffly at the end of the bench. He was fine boned, similar to Jonathan, and he would have been handsome if he wasn't looking at me like I didn't even deserve to lick his boots. His green eyes were narrowed on me like I was some sort of lab specimen. I had the distinct impression that I was being sized up and the feeling made me tug on my almost too tight shirt. "Er, yeah, I guess?"

He snorted. "He told me you were intelligent, though you must not be, being eighteen and ending up pregnant."

"Excuse me?!" I had excused Jonathan for being an idiot because I was carrying his child but I had no idea who this moron was so he wasn't getting off so easily. I was going to throttle his skinny neck, campus police be damned.

"Edward!" The front doors of Buckner had burst open and Jonathan was basically sprinting towards us. "Edward, no!"

"This is Edward?" I waved angrily at the bastard in question, a smug look on his face. "This is the guy you're staying with?" I should have figured, really, seeing as you had to be a special sort of person to be able to put up with Jonathan Crane for any length of time.

My maybe-boyfriend definite-baby daddy spared me a glance before turning on his friend. "What did I tell you? She's pregnant, back off!"

"Well, it's certainly not my fault that you decided to impregnate someone who happens to have an IQ below sixty."

I felt myself bristle and I couldn't stop my hands from curling into fists. Who the Hell did this guy think he is? My IQ was far above sixty, thank you very much. Not that it was bad to have that IQ, but this guy was a slimeball anyways. I found myself wanting to know what his face looked like as I bashed it into the pavement. "Listen, you-"

"Back off, Edward. Now." Jonathan's voice left no room for argument. The man narrowed his eyes on me again before turning and walking away. The way he strutted reminded me of a rooster our next door neighbors used to have. Jonathan kept his eyes on him until he threw open the doors and vanished inside. "I'm sorry, D.G. I tried to get out here before he found you but he must have gotten out of class early."

"I can't believe you're living with that jerk." I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest. Wait, _ouch_, that hurt. Note to self- boobs are sore. "How can you handle it?"

Jonathan quirked a thin eyebrow. "Well, my girlfriend kicked me out, remember?"

"Only because, like your friend, you were being a pompous ass." I snarled. So much for being in a good mood.

"Hey." Jonathan pulled me to his chest and I felt him give out a light chuckle. "I don't fault you, okay? Edward is... different. Hard to handle."

"If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is." I mumbled into his chest, relaxing as I breathed in his scent.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Jonathan kissed my forehead lightly as I lightly pulled on his green sweater.

"Watch it, Crane. Pregnant or not, I can kick your ass."

He pulled back a little and held out his hand. "That I do not doubt."

* * *

"Are you nervous?"

The doctor's office was freezing. Like I had given up my new found hatred of PDA to steal Jonathan's body heat freezing. I was laying on the bed next to the ultrasound machine after the most... uncomfortable test ever. I was happy to be able to put my clothes back on.

"I am." I glanced away from the ugly yellow walls to Jonathan, who was seated in the plastic chair next to me. I was glad they didn't let him sit in on the last test. "I just want to go home and sleep for awhile."

I felt Jonathan's hand grip mine. "We'll head back as soon as we're done, I promise."

Before I could even nod the door swung open, revealing the most curvacious blonde I have ever seen. She was wearing nurses scrubs that looked like they were going to burst and had a stethoscope around her tan neck. She glanced at a chart before smiling at me. "Dahlia Cohen?"

I nodded the affirmative and she gave a little cheer. "So, I'm Amelia and I'm your ultrasound tech for today. This is your first, right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Psh." She waved me off with the chart, coming dangerously close to hitting Jonathan in the head. He ducked, an aggravated sound coming from his throat. The nurse ignored him. "My name is Amelia and that's what you'll call me. I'm not old enough to be a ma'am."

I just bit my lip and she sat on the stool in front of the machine and started hitting buttons. Jonathan was still holding my hand and was watching the blonde like a panther that was ready to strike.

"Alright, hun, lay back and lift your shirt to right underneath your bra, okay? Don't wanna get any of this goop on it." I did as she instructed, shivering as a cold chill raced down my spine. She squirted some of the icy blue goop on my stomach and I squeaked. "Sorry, babe. They don't let us warm this stuff up. Give me a few minutes and I'll be able to show you your baby."

An awkward silence went over us and the maneuvered the white wand on my stomach, pressing in enough for it to be uncomfortable. "It looks like you're about eight weeks." She clicked on the keyboard and static filled the old speakers on the wall before a different sound broke through.

_Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump. _

**Holy shit.**

I glanced at Jonathan to see him having the same reaction. His cool mask was broke and his mouth was open a little in awe. "Is that-?"

The nurse glanced from the machine and smiled. "Yep, that's the heartbeat. Nice and strong, too." She turned the black and white screen to us and pointed at the small blob on the machine. I felt tears burn behind my eyes as I stared at the tiny image on the screen. It looked like a small alien and you could easily see the beating heart. "Congrats, Mama. Meet your baby."

* * *

**So, this is super short but I wanted to get it up before Hurricane Sandy hits us in a few hours. I hope everyone that does get hit is safe. We're expecting her tonight into tomorrow.**

**I usually don't get into political things on here, but since I probably won't be updating again before the election, let me get this off my chest.**

**If you are of age and are an American, make sure to vote November 6th. This election is _so_ important to our country right now. So many things are riding on the line. Every vote needs to be counted. Certain parties are trying to make it harder for people to exercise their born right to vote and if we don't stand up and be counted, they win. I can't overstate how important it is to take the five, ten minutes out of your lives and hit the polling office.**

**I won't say who I'm voting for, but if you follow me on Tumblr, you already know. But regardless who you vote for, make sure you do. Don't just vote for whoever your parents tell you to, don't vote for who you see on TV. Take some time and research and make up your own decisions, okay? Your vote is your voice and only _yours. _ **

**Thanks again to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed. I love you!**

**Anyways, as long as Hurricane Sandy cooperates and leaves our power and property alone, the next chapter should be out sometime next week. Hopefully. Be safe, everyone. Happy Halloween.**


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